Broken Dreams
by Bob Everett
Summary: Kuroko manages to stumble across a plot to topple Academy City.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I originally wrote this in 2010, without having read any of the books. Also, this one is dead in the water but I figured I'd upload it somewhere. Sorry.

* * *

Quiet, Shirai Kuroko reminded herself. You're supposed to be patient now.

She crouched low behind a box and relaxed, letting her senses project into the surrounding darkness. Distantly she could hear the low hum of fans. Moving slowly, she removed her communicator from around her ear and tugged on the small roll-up touchscreen held within, yanking it free. With swift fingers she sent a short message back to headquarters.

**I hear computers.**

After placing the communicator back on her ear the reply came. It was Uiharu Kazari, her friend, partner, and personal guardian angel during operations like this.

"They're on? That should be where he is." Her soft voice sounded distracted. "Down the hallway to your right there should be two windows that overlook the laboratory."

Reflexively, Kuroko nodded. Carefully she moved down the hallway, adjusting her weight to minimize the noise of her shoes on the tile flooring. The window Uiharu mentioned was low enough for her to reach and small enough to ease her worries of being spotted. Letting a bit of tension escape through a breath, she stood up and looked out the window.

The laboratory was the centerpiece of one of the earliest esper research facilities, dating back to the early days of Academy City's existence. Most of the equipment was dated, huge now obsolete cables criss-crossing the ceiling like a drunken spider's web, and a series of computers the size of family sedans marking out the room's perimeter. All of these framing a round bank of machines in the center of the room, the presumed goal of her target.

Kuroko could see a faint glow coming from the console monitors, but not much else. So many large objects arranged around the room provided ample hiding spots.

**Suspect isn't visible from this location.**

She spotted a set of double doors leading out of the room, swung wide open. Fantastic, she thought. No matter how fast he turned out to be she'd be able to cut off his only means of escape.

She sent another message.

**I see the exit. How wide is the connecting hallway?**

"About two meters across."

Kuroko bit her fingernail.

Wide enough at this distance, she decided. Teleporting was always tricky. She had to balance weight and distance while maintaining her ability to concentrate. If anything was off by a fraction, the teleport would be screwed up and likely she would be too. This one wasn't too bad, though. She just had to make sure she had a quiet landing.

Gauging the distance one last time, she jumped out the window. In the span of a second the world fell out from under her, like someone had pulled the rug out from under it. The momentary feeling of weightlessness sent a thrill through her. Teleportation had always felt like a grey area between life and death. Without the ground under her, she couldn't really be sure that she existed. Then as suddenly as it left, the world was back around her, and with a cat-like grace she landed next to the open doorway she had just been spying, still safely out of sight.

Pressing her back up against the wall, she let out another sigh of relief. She had misjudged the height by a few inches and for all her agility couldn't make the landing completely silent, but the low noise of the computers should have drowned out the impact of her shoes on the floor. She edged over to the doorway and peeked through.

Sure enough there was a solitary man standing in the middle of the computer bank, busily typing away at a console. A far cry from the unruly teenagers she dealt with on a day to day basis, he was tall and spindly man, draped in a heavy brown coat. Although his graying hair and wrinkling skin were clear signs of aging, the bright expression on his face held a childlike exuberance. A slight smile broke out across Kuroko's face as she noticed a large pair of headphones over his ears. The silver cans were high quality and heavy-looking, a large LED backlit piece slowly shifting color from yellow to red embedded in each earpiece.

Uiharu's voice came in again.

"Careful. We don't know if he's an esper."

Sure that he couldn't detect her presence she was content to watch him for a bit. His stiff posture never slackened as he continued to hammer away at the console. How boring, she thought. Kuroko's idle hands began to wander, scratching at places she didn't itch and massaging imaginary sores.

Finally, refusing to wait any longer, she stepped into the open hallway and flashed the green armband pinned to her sleeve.

"Stop," she called, "this is Judgment!"

The man turned towards her, startled. Clearly she had caught him off guard. He touched a finger to his headphones. A smile began to creep up across his lips, first slow and then budding into a confident smirk.

"Ah, we thought we smelled perfume. Evening, Miss," he said.

Kuroko clenched a fist. He didn't blink.

"This area has been designated by Judgment and Anti Skill to be off limits. You're trespassing."

The man paused, sniffing the air for a moment.

"Oh dear, you have us. We suppose we're under arrest then." He turned his back to her and held his hands up.

"You understand." Kuroko hesitated, watching for any sudden movements. Criminals didn't just outright give up like that. "Remove your jacket, place it on the floor, and take ten steps back."

He readily complied and stood silent, awaiting her next command.

"Good. Stay still."

She approached him cautiously, hands at the ready in case he tried anything. He only regarded her with a congenial smile as she bound his hands and began patting him down. She found nothing on him, save the headphones that had been sitting on his head. She gave a quick glance back towards the doorway, then spoke into her communicator.

"This is Shirai. I've apprehended the suspect. Uiharu, inform Anti Skill that we need a pickup."

Uiharu acknowledged her request and Kuroko began to lead the man out of the room.

"Shirai." He said her name slowly, like he was tasting the sounds. "We'll remember that name."

She couldn't help but shoot him a smirk and tugged on his bindings.

"Planning some sort of vengeance?" she asked.

"No, not at all." He grinned. "We think it's important to remember the names of celebrities. Say hello to the Railgun for us."

Kuroko stopped in mid-stride, and stared at him in shock. "How do you know-"

Suddenly he ducked beneath her view, hefting her onto his shoulder in one quick motion and dropping her on her back. Kuroko cursed herself as she scrambled to her feet. She should have seen it coming. As she righted herself, he worked intensely, breaking free from his bonds using a small metal spike. In disbelief, Kuroko reached for a small belt hidden underneath her skirt where she usually kept her private arsenal. The bastard had swiped it from her in the confusion.

Kuroko bit back her anger and began to pace back and forth between him and the doorway. He made no move to get past her, only watching carefully from a safe distance. He had tricked her once already and she couldn't afford to let the fight go any longer than it needed to. She figured his ability let him see how strong people are, or maybe glance into the near future. A powerful ability, but she could attack from any possible location.

Banking on that, she teleported into the air right behind him launching a fierce dropkick towards the back of his head. Her attack never landed. In sync with her teleportation, he quickly spun around and grabbed her legs as they appeared out of the emptiness and, popping his hips, swung her body into the ground. The impact forced the wind right out of her and as soon as she found her breath again, Kuroko was coughing into her hand. Blood spilled out from between her fingers, dripping out onto the floor.

She climbed to her feet and stumbled after him, clutching her chest. Her lungs felt they were on fire.

"Sorry, Miss," he said. "We already finished our job a long time ago, but curiosity got the better of us. We've never smelled a teleporter before, let alone fought one."

With that, he began to sprint for the door. Just as he reached the doorway, his right foot froze in place and, losing his balance, his face crashed into the floor. Kuroko watched him cough and blink, raising his head to see what the hell had hit him. Lodged in his foot was once of Kuroko's steel spikes.

Teleporting once more, she was right on top of him, straddling his back. The easy confidence he had shoved down her throat before was completely gone. Slowly, almost lovingly, she withdrew the spike from his foot eliciting a pain-filled howl from him. Kuroko had always favored the weapon for its simplicity. The spikes were no more than three to four inches long, easily concealable, easily replaceable, and proved equally useful for non-lethal or lethal force if the situation called for it.

She flipped him onto his back so she could look him in the eye. He saw the look in her face, and was terrified. She wasn't cautious anymore. Slowly she raised her bloody fist and let it hover in the air, making sure that his attention was completely focused on it. Satisfied that she had found the right moment, she hammered it into his face, the crunch of her knuckles against his nose easing her pain just a little bit. Not yet content, she gave him another, and another.

* * *

"Wake up already!"

Kuroko rubbed her eyes and blinked. She was in a daze, and through her blurry vision she saw a familiar face hovering above her. A reflexive yawn cleared her mind and she blinked again, finally recognizing who it was.

"Onee-sama!"

Although the two weren't related by blood, Kuroko's roommate Misaka Mikoto was a notable celebrity. As the third strongest esper to be classified as Level 5, her very existence commanded respect. Kuroko herself was a powerful esper, last being measured as a Level 4. Through a series of events the two came to be roommates at Tokiwadai Private School, one of the most prestigious schools in all of Academy City, and what originally may have been blind idolization blossomed into a close friendship, although admittedly not as close as Kuroko desired. Over the short span of time they had known each other, they were collectively involved in stopping a number of nefarious plots and schemes, and as a result she had no problem calling her "Sister."

Shaking the last dregs of fatigue off, Kuroko leapt towards Misaka, arms outstretched. Although Misaka was a year older than her, Kuroko never let décor get in the way of "true love." Misaka simply took a step to the side and let her fall to the floor.

"Kuroko, do you remember what happened yesterday?" Misaka asked.

For whatever reason, Misaka looked none too cheerful this morning. Kuroko wondered whether she had done something untoward last night, but quickly dismissed the idea. Even if she had, who was she to stifle her own natural feelings?

"Of course." Kuroko sat up and scratched her head. "I was called in by Judgment to see about a break-in around one of the restricted areas. He was adequately strong, but in the end I dispatched him and sent him along with Anti-Skill."

Even as she said the words, she wasn't completely sure of herself. The last thing she clearly remembered was beating that unnamed man in the face until she couldn't lift her arms anymore. Maybe it was a side effect of yesterday's activities, but last night was still a blur to her. Still, the explanation she gave made enough sense and even if it wasn't a complete version of what happened Kuroko figured that it had to be at least mostly true.

Misaka frowned.

"Uiharu called earlier and asked if you were alright."

Kuroko waved off her friend's concern. To her that was just Uiharu being Uiharu.

"That girl worries too much. I hope you told her that I'm quite alright." Kuroko yawned again and noticed that Misaka had her school uniform on. "Have you already showered, Onee-sama?"

"I already went to class, Kuroko. You've been sleeping all day."

Kuroko was speechless. Sleeping in and missing a day of class was no big deal by itself, but it was uncharacteristic of her.

"I'm going shopping with Saten-san. Are you sure you're alright?"

She waved off the concern again, slightly trembling as she did so. "Don't be silly, Onee-sama. I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, okay. If you head out don't forget to drop by Judgment."

"It's my first priority. I can't let Uiharu worry herself to death."

She watched Misaka head out the door and fell back on her bed again. Her joints felt stiff and even standing up she could feel pain in her midsection. She clutched her stomach. If Misaka saw her like this now, there was no way she'd let her leave the room. Brushing those thoughts aside, she forced herself to get up and began to assemble her clothes. She had work to do.

* * *

By the time Kuroko finally got to the office it was mid-afternoon. The branch office was small and lightly staffed, operating only under the three of them, but Kuroko liked it that way. It was far easier to keep clean and the environment was more intimate. She had friends and not just co-workers. Her immediate superior Konori Mii was already there, along with her partner Uiharu. As she walked in she noticed that they were handling her share of the paperwork for yesterday's arrest.

"I apologize for being late," she said hastily, walking over to her desk. "I'll get started on the paperwork immediately."

Konori turned from her work to face Kuroko, a concerned look on her bespectacled face.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Yesterday was pretty rough. You should take it easy for a while."

"That's right, Shirai-san!" Uiharu said. "You shouldn't be straining yourself after a fight like that."

The concern of the motherly Konori and worrisome Uiharu were just as she had expected.

"Come now," Kuroko said. "It's just paperwork. My job won't be finished until it's all done, regardless."

The two didn't look reassured at all, but didn't argue with her, which was fine. Really, what was up with everyone today? Outside of the usual aches and pains that went hand in hand with Judgment work, she felt fine. She turned on her laptop and set to work immediately; pulling up the first of a series of forms she had to fill out. It was the usual stuff: name, date, branch, time of incident. The paperwork actually came as a relief. Although a small part of her was praying that their branch didn't receive any calls today, she didn't want to be stuck at home doing nothing either. Looking at it in that light the busy work wasn't bad and Kuroko finished it all much faster than usual.

Later in the afternoon, Misaka showed up along with Saten Ruiko, a classmate of Uiharu's and another close friend. Everyone brightened up at their appearance and quickly the bustle of the office melted into idle chatter.

"Hey, did anyone notice how the cleaning bots have been acting weird lately?" Misaka asked.

"Onee-sama, have you been getting free drinks out of the vending machines again?" Kuroko sighed. "Please alter your behavior to something befitting a lady."

"I wasn't, and the way I act is fine."

Saten quickly jumped in and changed the subject.

"Shirai-san," she said, "I heard you were up against a real bad guy yesterday."

"He gave me a fair bit of trouble," Shirai replied. "However, he was easily dispatched."

"That's Shirai-san for you. Very impressive!"

"Come off it, Kuroko," Misaka said. "When Anti-Skill brought you back to the dorm, they told me that you had gotten beat up pretty badly, which is why I didn't bother waking you up this morning. I figured you were just hiding it from me, but you don't really remember, do you?"

Kuroko gasped, surprised at being called out. "W-well..."

Misaka leaned in closer to her, her face contorting into a scowl. "You should still be in bed."

"Yes, well." Kuroko held her hands up. "It's the call of duty. This is war, and we are on the front lines-"

"Can it."

An intense glare at Kuroko underscored Misaka's feelings.

"He must have been really tough, to give Shirai-san trouble," Saten said.

Kuroko nodded.

"Well, his strength wasn't typical. Oftentimes they're minor things like Skill Out or Level 1 espers, maybe Level 2s at most but that man was something else."

A thought came to her.

"Konori-senpai, did Anti Skill identify the criminal yet?"

"Now that you mention it," Konori replied, "he wasn't in the Bank."

"Not in the Bank?" Misaka asked. "That's impossible. The Bank keeps records of anyone who comes through Academy City. There's no way around it."

"Could he have used the computers at that abandoned facility to remotely erase his records?" Uiharu asked.

"Maybe," Konori said.

"Well," Misaka said, "why don't we interrogate him ourselves?"

"He's in Anti Skill custody right now," Uiharu said. "Even if they let us, they wouldn't release him until processing is finished, and that might take a few days."

"We haven't encountered any Skill Out on his kind of level before," Kuroko said. "I'm sure he's an esper."

"Even if he's an esper, he still didn't show his power, right?" Misaka said. "He must not have planned on you beating him so quickly."

"Either he didn't want me to see it or he was using it and I just couldn't see what it was."

Konori adjusted her glasses.

"I'll see about getting a pass with Anti-Skill. Until then, Shirai, I want you to take a vacation. We don't know if this is part of something bigger and I want you at peak condition."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The lyrics at the end are from the song Broken Dreams by Shaman's Harvest.

* * *

Misaka ran through the dark streets, nearly about to puke. Rain poured down on her, an odd enough occurrence in the climate controlled Academy City, and a light breeze drew icy daggers across her exposed skin. She cursed herself for not bringing a jacket but thinking back she couldn't really blame herself. She received Konori's call a half hour earlier. Kuroko was hurt. Brushing aside the Dorm Supervisor's objections she bolted out the front door into the night.

She had been skeptical of this whole deal all along. Crimes were happening so frequently recently that Anti-Skill was beginning to push a lot of their work onto Judgment. It didn't help that Kuroko was looking at this like an opportunity. Maybe she was right; these risks could land her bigger and better jobs. She could get head her own branch and really move up the ladder. Or she could fall right off.

Misaka turned the corner and saw the research facility, which looked more like an abandoned hospital than anything else. Mother Earth had already reclaimed the building, unchecked plant growth reaching its vines throughout the windows, curling around columns, and hanging from the ceiling. Gathered in the front she could see the flashing lights of two Anti-Skill armored vans, and a handful of personnel. Konori was there too, clipboard in hand, debriefing with one of the officers. Misaka called out to her as she approached.

"Konori-senpai!" she said.

"Misaka-san, I'm glad you could make it here so quickly," Konori said.

"Where is she?"

"Right over here."

Konori gestured over to the back of one of the vans, where Kuroko had already been loaded onto a stretcher. Her face looked so angelic, but the rest of her body was a different matter. Her clothes were dirty, ripped in many places and Misaka could see heavy bandages wrapped around her mid-section. Bruises dotted the exposed parts of her skin.

"How is she?"

"Shirai is okay, but it could have been a lot worse. She needs to rest. Don't let her strain herself for a couple of days."

"That'll be hard."

"Once you're in Judgment, it's a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and you don't want to stop. On top of that, Shirai has a strong sense of justice. I know it won't be easy, but it's what's right for her."

Misaka nodded. "I got it."

"She did a lot of good, though." She held up the clipboard in her hand. "The target was a man we've suspected has been behind a number of data center break-ins. We finally caught him."

Just as she said it, two Anti-Skill officers were dragging a withered old man in handcuffs over to one of the vans. He was loudly complaining about the way they were treating him, while doing his best to delay them. They finally managed to haul him near the empty armored van when he began to sniff the air. Suddenly, as if finding the scent he was looking for, his gaze snapped in the direction of Misaka.

"You over there, you are the Railgun!" he said.

Misaka hesitated.

"Yeah, I'm Misaka Mikoto."

Of course he knew who she was, but she wished that he didn't.

"No, we're not talking to you." He giggled for a moment, causing Misaka to back up a step. "We're talking to the Railgun."

Misaka looked to Konori, who simply shrugged.

"Yes," she said slowly, "I am the Railgun."

"Good, good! They call me Tinker." He gave a high pitched hoot and grinned. "It's quite an honor to meet you. We're big fans."

Suddenly Tinker leaned in close to her and took a whiff. Misaka yelped in surprise and slapped him hard in the side of the head One of the officers slammed his face into the ground. A bit of blood spilled from his mouth but he laughed it off. They picked him up and hurled him into the back of the van.

"Come visit me! We'd love to smell you again."

He cackled as the officers climbed into the back with him, shutting the door behind them. As the van took off into the night, Misaka continued to stare in its direction.

"Don't worry about him," Konori said. "I don't think we'll ever see him again."

"He'd better pray he never sees me again."

* * *

Kuroko and Misaka walked up and down the streets outside the branch office, aimlessly. Konori told Kuroko to take a vacation, but it was a lot harder than it sounded. What exactly would she do? She was injured, no doubt of that. That ruled out a day at the track, the pool, and just about everything else Kuroko wanted to do. Moreover, she couldn't help but feel irritated. Something was afoot and at a crucial moment like this she was sitting on the sidelines. On the bright side of things, it seemed like Misaka was sticking around to make sure Kuroko didn't do anything stupid. All things considered, she wasn't enjoying her "vacation" as much as she should have been.

For her part, Misaka seemed to be lost in thought, not saying much of anything at all. That was just as well. It stalled the inevitable trip to the arcade and Kuroko could do without being reminded of how easily the Ace of Tokiwadai disgraced her station with unladylike behavior. The two continued their walk in silence.

Suddenly Misaka perked up and pointed off in the distance.

"Hey Kuroko, do you want some ice cream?" she asked. "My treat."

It was a sudden shift in mood, but ice cream sounded wonderful.

"How generous of you!" Kuroko clapped her hands together. "I'll take strawberry, then."

They headed into the store and in a few moments Misaka returned to their seats with two cups of ice cream, a wide smile across her face. Kuroko felt a little uneasy watching her. Normally she was happy to have any time alone with Misaka, but the circumstances took a little of the pleasure out of it. The front that Misaka was putting up didn't help things either. Upon taking her first bite of ice cream, cold struck her like lightning, a shiver running from her teeth all throughout her body. She winced in pain as her abdominal muscles contracted.

"Aha, I knew it!" The joy of dragging Kuroko's lie into the open was plastered across her face, a triumphant smile that churned inside Kuroko's own stomach. Then it was gone, replaced by the haughty demeanor of a mother three times her age.

"Seriously Kuroko," Misaka said, wagging her finger, "you should be more careful."

Kuroko mustered a smile she hoped was just as irritating. "Whatever do you mean, Onee-sama?"

Misaka poked her in the side eliciting another wince. "It's easy to see you're still injured. It's irresponsible to worry everybody about it."

Kuroko frowned and pushed her arm away. "You're one to lecture me about responsibility."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're just as apt, if not more so, to run off with that vigilante attitude of yours irrespective of your own condition."

"Aren't you just describing yourself?" Misaka slammed the palm of her hand on the table, nearly knocking over her ice cream. Several sets of eyes fell on the table, less interested in the sudden noise and more interested in Misaka's rising voice. "Just because you work for Judgment…"

Misaka trailed off, the sound of Kuroko's phone ringing interrupted their thoughts. Kuroko answered it.

"This is Judgment."

She nodded as she received the details, repeating them aloud. There was a report of someone smashing up the restaurants in Academy Garden. He was a big fellow and probably an esper. Anti-Skill were on their way, but they needed him to be distracted until they could set up. Kuroko nodded to herself and hung up. Misaka stepped in front of her.

"No, Kuroko," she said. The pretense of justification dropped. She was completely serious now, and the brief moments they had spent sniping at each other were gone from memory. Kuroko hesitated, unsure what to say. It was moving to see Misaka concerned for her, but she would not be dissuaded.

"Onee-sama, I appreciate your concern—"

"Don't be stupid. You're still injured, and what if this guy ends up being an esper? Let me handle this one."

"If it's as serious as it sounded, then I need to go. I can be on the scene quicker than anyone else."

Misaka's eyes were intense now and Kuroko fancied she could see the sparks of electricity crackling behind her pupils. Not just in her eyes. She could feel the change in the atmosphere, tiny currents running through her veins just being in the presence of Misaka. The Railgun intended to stop her no matter what.

"If it's as serious as you make it out to be," she said slowly, "then you're in no condition to go."

"Onee-sama, let me remind you that I'm a member of Judgment and despite your status and power, you are still a civilian." She sighed. "While your contributions are appreciated, I think you are overstepping your boundaries."

Misaka shot her a confident smile. "Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it?"

Kuroko shrugged and just like that, was gone.

* * *

As Kuroko bolted through the streets of Academy City, she had to admit that she was a little irritated. The sun was unusually hot, the mild breeze licking at her thighs more mocking than comforting. Even the _click clack_ of her delicate shoes against the pavement grated on her ears. Misaka was mad at her because she was taking risks. Normally she appreciated the concern, but there was nothing to worry about. She was fine. She hated the repeated calls to Judgment too, but that would never stop her from treating real crimes seriously.

Usually she loved working at Judgment. She was contributing to justice, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves especially in a city that while generally peaceful was only protected by an unfortunately thin shield of volunteer psychics and Anti Skill. However, it was the competitive element that drove her. She wasn't competing against Uiharu or Konori-senpai, or even against the other divisions in those silly little games upper management always liked to play. No, she enjoyed the competition with herself. It was a dangerous game, and she always had to be at her peak both mentally and physically, or she would risk putting lives in danger. That was truly what fueled her and that was the reason that she loved her job.

Today was different.

She continued her sprint along the busy thoroughfare, scanning signposts and store banners, barely slowing down as she called the office.

"Uiharu, how much further do I have to go?"

The high pitched reply rang through Kuroko's communicator. "Take a left at the intersection ahead and you'll be able to see it."

She cut through the street to the other side and, weaving through the mass of fleeing people, turned the corner. The first thing that hit her was the noise, a wild mix of snapping wood and twisting metal set against the screams of bystanders all trying to get to safety. Teleporting above the fray, she managed to get a glimpse of the carnage's epicenter, a small tea shop she often walked past. Another teleport and she set herself down in front of the shop, nearly missing a load of silverware flying out the smashed open store window.

"Whoever it is in there, halt! This is Judgment," she called.

At the sound of her voice the destruction stopped. Out of the clearing smoke a solitary man walked out of the smoke. Kuroko's jaw dropped as his silhouette became clearer. The guy was a freak of nature, more than twice Kuroko's height and likely over ten times the mass. He was clothed only in a red jumpsuit, unzipped to the chest.

"Do you understand me?" she asked.

"You insult me," the man said, his voice low like a threatening lion.

"You don't look Japanese."

The man spat. "You don't look like Judgment. My name is Matsuo Keiji."

"I am Shirai Kuroko."

"Oh?" The man looked genuinely surprised. "You're the little lady that put Tinker away."

"Tinker?" she asked. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't remember the name of every lowlife I send to jail."

"I figured you'd at least remember the name of the man that spilt your blood." Matsuo lowered himself into a fighting stance, wide and filled with power. "I hope you're not going to try that teleporting dropkick on me."

Kuroko frowned. He shouldn't know any of her tricks. "You saw right through me."

"Well, come on then." He beckoned her to him. "I thought I was under arrest."

She couldn't let him talk to her like that, but from the looks of his arms, she couldn't get close to him either. If he was a friend of Tinker, she reasoned, he must be an esper too. She began to circle him, waiting for an opportunity to get a clear look at his ability. Matsuo charged her like a rampaging bull, but Kuroko was too fast. She deftly stepped to the side and let him pass.

"That's not going to work on me," she said.

Kuroko had encountered his type before, brutes that relied on their strength and tried to stop her with all out attacks. Their weakness was their inability to pace themselves. If she kept dodging his attacks he'd end up tiring out long before her and she could put him down with minimal effort.

"I'm betting it will."

He charged at her again, and again. Each time she was able to step to the side. Even though she was proving to be quicker, he continued to charge. Before long, Kuroko was beginning to sweat.

This guy is more athletic than I thought.

"Tired yet?"

Despite the deeper breaths she was taking, Kuroko refused to show any signs of weakness. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Good." He charged once more. "I'd be disappointed if you gave up now!"

Kuroko began to move to the side once more, but she miscalculated. Suddenly he had his sights on her, moving faster than before and she had no way she could dodge him. With only a few steps left between the two, Kuroko teleported. She reappeared a few feet away and took a leap back, reaching for her spikes. Before she could even bring up her hands, he was in her face, planting his feet and readying a big right hand aimed at her face.

Kuroko teleported again, again, and again. Every attack she dodged was followed by another one, and although the intensity of his attacks were disorienting, it was the variety that locked Kuroko down. Matsuo was throwing a variety of punches and kicks. Some seemed to be aimed straight at her face before snaking around to come at her from a different angle. Some were flashy feints that drew her attention, but hid far more dangerous strikes that she could only catch on the periphery of her vision. No matter what, there was no way Kuroko could anticipate them.

It was an effective strategy; by keeping the pressure on her she couldn't concentrate enough to teleport any reasonably safe distance and he was showing no signs of slowing down. Even if Kuroko dodged a few of them, she wouldn't be able to keep up with his stamina.

Was this his power?

That didn't really matter, she thought. If I don't stop him now he'll get me.

Kuroko teleported one more time and upon reappearing, launched her head forward, catching a well anticipated Matsuo in the nose with a powerful headbutt. He staggered back a few steps and she saw her chance. Kuroko ran her hands across her legs, teleporting every single one of her spikes along the way. It was a desperate all-out attack, and in her condition she couldn't guarantee his safety. Still, it was the only attack she could manage with enough stopping power to give her any chance. Matsuo howled in pain as the steel spikes appeared all over his body, displacing flesh and bone as they inserted themselves back into reality.

Kuroko let out a sigh of relief as he flailed about. It was a dangerous move and she could have killed him if the spikes ended up piercing any organs. Satisfied with the outcome, she approached him. Suddenly, she felt arms around her. They lassoed her neck, rigid muscles digging into her flesh like steel bars. She cursed inwardly. His choke sleeper could put her out at will and she couldn't concentrate enough to teleport at all in this position. She had no options left.

"What's the matter, Judgment?" Matsuo asked.

Kuroko tried to force her fingers between his arms, anything to relieve the pressure. The hold was too tight and he was much too strong. She wanted to yell at him so badly, to demand how he was able to shrug off her attack. Slowly he increased the pressure applied to her arteries, gently easing her into darkness as the circulation to her head was cut off.

_Onee-sama._

Suddenly, she took a breath. Blinking her eyes rapidly, the feeling began to come back to her fingers first, then slowly up her arms and she was back. She bolted to her feet, but a hand immediately pushed her back to the ground.

"Kuroko, get your fucking head down!" Misaka yelled.

She fired off a wide arc of lightning bolts, and as Kuroko looked up at her, it wasn't the Misaka Mikoto she knew day to day. This was the Railgun, the immutable Electric Princess, and the Ace of Tokiwadai. Misaka dashed towards Matsuo and the dust began to swirl around her. Only it wasn't dust, it was bits and pieces of iron, sand-like individually but she gave them shape, creating two deadly blades.

Suddenly she heard a voice in her ear, breaking her daydream-like state. It was Uiharu.

"Shirai-san, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Uiharu. Just a tiny bit winded."

Even as she said it, she winced. She hadn't been hit at all, but the fight came close to completely grounding her. Hands, feet, legs, arms; everything was sore beyond belief.

"I'm attempting to find a route out of here. The whole map is lighting up."

"I said I was okay Uiharu."

"No, something else is happening. We're getting calls in from all over the Garden. This is way more than we can handle."

"What?"

Finally Kuroko looked around. If the damage Matsuo caused earlier was a disaster, then the scene she saw in the Academy Garden was Armageddon. Students ran in all directions, fleeing from roaming groups of thugs, who strut up and down the streets like they were gods given flesh. On a whim, a small five man group broke off from the main street and waded through the sea of students until they found a young enough boy, weak and timid enough that they were sure he wouldn't dare fight back and they began to pummel him. They were playful at first, drawing out the intimidating silence between a punch or kick, prodding at the victim's fears and insecurities. Then, as the young boy became more and more desperate, thrusting his arms out in a poor attempt to grasp at whatever pity his heartless masters might still have had they began to beat him further, almost as if they were disgusted at the pitiful being they created. Kuroko watched, shock freezing her in place as they continued to rain down blows, offering no respite even as his face was a crimson mask, until the boy couldn't plead anymore and laid still. All around him people ran away. They saw nothing and knew nothing.

Kuroko looked down at her hands. From head to toe, she was trembling.

"Uiharu, what is going on here?"

"I'm not sure."

"I must stop this." Even as she said it, her voice was unsure. She stumbled forward toward where she had last seen the boy. A burst of crackling static flooded Kuroko's ear.

"No, don't!" Uiharu's voice was desperate. "There's some kind of interference. Lights, cameras; everything's being affected. You're at the southern edge of it. You're no-"

Her communicator went silent, but she understood. The interference was the bigger threat. Judgment and Anti-Skill would be flying blind and without the guidance of other agents like Uiharu, Skill-Out would be able to slither away into the darkness. She pulled herself upright and shot a glance back at Misaka. She was distant, barely within her sights and still locked in combat with Matsuo. She could handle herself.

Kuroko took a deep breath and ran north.

Minutes later, she felt herself getting close. It wasn't just a hunch either. With every footfall she was progressing into a calmer city. The roving gangs were gone, then the crowds of fleeing people thinned, and with a few steps more she had escaped the riot like it was a nightmare. She ran around a corner and stopped for a moment, leaning up against the wall of the corner building. She took a few breaths before proceeding, just to make sure she still wasn't shaken. Up in the distance ahead she could see her target: a giant satellite dish protruding from the back of a van, sitting innocently in a parking lot.

Someone was sitting next to the dish, legs draped over the rear bumper of the van. It was a youngish looking man, medium length blonde hair held back behind a loose sweatband. He wore a black tee over a white long sleeved shirt, and dark shorts cut below the knee. He was whistling a tune Kuroko wasn't familiar with.

She slowed her pace as she approached. Fatigue was setting in and her legs were heavy, like someone had tied sandbags around her ankles. Her arms fared no better. If he ended up being an esper she had no idea how she would resist, but she continued on anyway.

"You there," she called, her breaths coming heavy between her words, "identify yourself. This is Judgment!"

He didn't reply, but began to sing to the tune he had just been whistling:

_Almost to the mountain top, you slip and fall just like a stone  
Rolling ever faster to this nightmare you have sown.  
You had it all right in your grasp, but in a breath your minute passed.  
Now, at last, the end has come. You are all alone._

His words were soothing, and she began to relax all over, first coming to a full stop. As he continued to sing, she didn't even hear him anymore. She only heard one thing.

_Sleep._


End file.
